Nashville Ballet will kick off its 2006-2007 season with Lizzie, a world-premiere interpretation of the infamous legend of Lizzie Borden, Friday through Sunday, October 6-8 at TPAC’s Polk Theater.

The Fall Series also will include three additional ballets. Salvatore Aiello’s Journey showcases the athleticism of the company’s male dancers. George Balanchine’s beautiful Serenade, his first ballet performed in the United States, is set to the music of Tchaikovsky. Leading off the program will be Tribute, Nashville Ballet Artistic Director Paul Vasterling’s homage to the late Maestro Kenneth Schermerhorn, set to Schermerhorn’s composition, Lydian Fanfares.

The Nashville Symphony will accompany all four ballets.

“This program is a wonderful example of what Nashville Ballet is all about — original and creative works, beautiful classics and Nashville flair,” said Vasterling.

In Lizzie, Vasterling puts his own spin on the infamous legend of Lizzie Borden. In 1892, she was found innocent of the brutal axe murders of her father and stepmother, a verdict that is still debated to this day. The ballet is choreographed to Fall River Legend, composerMorton Gould’s dark musical interpretation of the Lizzie Borden story.  

“I’ve always been captivated by the Lizzie Borden legend,” said Vasterling. “It was America’s first real courtroom controversy, and there are so many theories and so much emotion surrounding the case. I thought it would be interesting to explore it in dance and draw my own conclusions.”

Note: Brief nudity, parental discretion advised.

Tribute will be a fitting tie-in to the opening of the new Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Schermerhorn had strong ties to ballet — he began his career as a conductor with American Ballet Theatre and was married to American Ballet Theatre ballerina Lupe Serrano. Schermerhorn’s daughter, Veronica Lynn, also was a ballerina, and he conducted her dance as the Sugarplum Fairy in Nashville Ballet’s Nutcracker in 2002.

“Kenneth and I always wanted to create a ballet together, but we never had the opportunity,” said Vasterling. “Through Tribute, we will honor him for all he did to raise Nashville’s profile as a city devoted to the arts. I chose his upbeat Lydian Fanfares because it is so consistent with his love of life.”

Performance Dates

At TPAC’s Polk Theater
Friday, October 6 at 8:00 pm
Saturday, October 7 at 8:00 pm
Sunday, October 8 at 2:00 pm

Single and Group Tickets

Single tickets for Lizzie range in price from $19 to $52. Group tickets of 10 or more receive a 20% discount off the single-ticket price. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster at 615.255.ARTS, www.ticketmaster.com, or any Ticketmaster outlets. You may also purchase tickets in person at the TPAC box office downtown (no Ticketmaster fees) or the Davis-Kidd Booksellers in Green Hills. To purchase group tickets, please call TPAC at 615.782.4004.

Subscription Tickets

Subscriptions for Nashville Ballet’s 2006-2007 Season are on sale now. Prices range from $45.50 to $174.00. To subscribe, please call TPAC’s Subscriber Services at 615.782.6560. Out-of-town subscribers, call 1.800.410.4216. For more information, call the Ballet at 615.297.2966, ext. 12 or 28. Four-show and three-show subscriptions are offered and are priced at a 20% discount from single-ticket prices.

The Flex Pass subscription allows subscribers to purchase a minimum of six vouchers to be used for any regular season production, date, time and the best possible seating. 

Nashville Ballet is funded in part from grants made available through the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission, the Tennessee Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as the Ingram Charitable Trust Foundation.